feat: begin responsive workspace layout

2026-08-05 10:51:44 +01:00
parent 2f87cca88d
commit cf05c969bf
4 changed files with 141 additions and 63 deletions
@@ -90,3 +90,8 @@ The workspace should always answer:
 The interface should minimise cognitive load by presenting the current state first and allowing progressively deeper exploration only when requested.

 The engine may contain hundreds of reasoning nodes; the user should only see the information required to take the next meaningful action.
+
+## Why workspace layout matters (v0.7)
+
+This phase optimises for simultaneous visibility instead of sequential scrolling.
+Related panels — Understanding alongside Investigation Map, Situation alongside History — can appear side-by-side on wide screens while mobile continues to stack everything vertically. The reasoning engine is completely unaware of these changes; only the presentation layer is affected.
@@ -136,6 +136,66 @@ Avoid:

 The next question should be the strongest visual element.

+## Workspace Layout Philosophy
+
+The Confidence Engine is a workspace, not a document.
+
+Documents optimise for reading from top to bottom.
+
+Workspaces optimise for allowing related information to be visible simultaneously.
+
+As investigations become larger, users should not be forced into unnecessary
+vertical scrolling simply because horizontal space is available.
+
+Layout decisions should always ask:
+
+> "How much useful investigation context can be seen at one time?"
+
+rather than:
+
+> "How narrow can the content column be?"
+
+### Principles
+
+- **Active investigation remains the primary focus.** The current question and response form are always fully visible first.
+- **Frequently referenced information should remain visible.** Understanding and Investigation Map should be scannable without scrolling away from the active question.
+- **Reference material may share horizontal space on larger displays.** Situation and History can sit side-by-side when there is room.
+- **Layout should adapt to available space without changing the investigation flow.** The same information is always present; only its arrangement changes.
+- **Mobile and tablet continue to use a stacked single-column layout.** No progressive disclosure at small sizes — every section remains accessible by scrolling, just as it always has been.
+- **Desktop progressively exposes more simultaneous context.** Instead of simply adding whitespace, wider screens reveal horizontal relationships between related panels.
+
+### Desktop layout model (wide screens)
+
+```
+┌───────────────────── full-width ─────────────────────┐
+│  Investigation Summary                                │
+├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
+│  Active Workspace   │  Working Memory                │
+│  (full width)       │  Understanding     Map        │
+│  Current Investigation                      │         │
+│  Response           └─────────────────────────────────┘
+├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
+│  Reference: Situation    │    History                 │
+├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
+│  Developer Details (always below)                     │
+└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
+```
+
+### Visual goal
+
+The page should feel less like a long report and more like an investigator's
+workspace. The eye should be able to compare Understanding alongside Investigation Map without scrolling, and Situation alongside History in the same way.
+
+### What this phase does NOT include
+
+- No card redesigns.
+- No new navigation.
+- No account management or top bar.
+- No tabs, collapsing layouts, resizable panes, floating panels, or masonry.
+- No typography or colour changes.
+
+This is a layout-only phase. The reasoning engine should remain completely unaware of presentation decisions.
+
 ## TL;DR Workspace Rules

 The newest state is the most important state.